Low water pressure and dirt sediment after well chlorination

[ConnieMaria]

Hello All, thank you upfront for all help and advice. So, I've owned this home for a couple of year and every so often I get the rotten egg smell in some or all faucets. It was suggested that I do a well chlorination treatment, so I had a company come out today to do it. This cost me $200! I just turned the water off and am in the stage of letting it sit for 12hrs, but I noticed some things that are concerning to me prior to doing this. I'd like to get some advice to see if any of these things are something that I should be worried about before it gets too late in the day to call the company back out to address them.

Concern #1. The water pressure is acting funky. So, the guy poured the bleach into the well, ran some hose water inside, then came inside and bypassed the water softener and whole house filter. We then turned on all cold water faucets in the house to wait for the chlorine smell. He turned on the kitchen sink first, which had normal pressure. But when I turned on the faucets in the 2 bathrooms and laundry, suddenly the kitchen water stopped flowing. Then water from all of the faucets stopped flowing. The guy went outside and checked something in the well and then came back inside and checked blue water bladder thingy, which he said it was at good pressure (he said is was at 40). He concluded that we'd probably just used all the water and it needed to build back up. Within a couple of minutes, water started flowing back to all faucets, EXCEPT the kitchen faucet. Now the kitchen faucet is barely dripping water and continues to be this way hours later. Also, the cold water in the bathrooms and laundry is flowing just fine, but the hot water starts out strong and then the pressure gets low. I have now shut off all water for the 12hr wait, but I'm wondering if this is something that is normal and should correct itself after the 12 hours? Or could there be something else wrong in the well or plumbing?

Concern #2. The water never got the chlorine smell. While the guy was here, the water ran for about 30 minutes as we waited to smell the chlorine, but it never happened. The water continued to smell like dirty well water. He also said he's had cases where the chlorine smell never happens and told me to continue running the water for another 10 minutes before shutting it off for the 12 hours. Then he left. I actually let it run for another 20 minutes or so and it never smelled like chlorine. The water continued to smell like well water and every so often rotten eggs, but never chlorine. Could this mean the chlorine did not make it through the pipes?

Concern #3. The water from each faucet and toilets was dirty, brown/black looking. There was also black particles in the sinks the looked like charcoal. But, in the bathtub there was a significant amount of sediment lookedmore like brown dirt than charcoal and settled all over the bottom of the tub like mud. However, before I turned off the faucets, all of the water began to run much clearer, although still tinted a bit, except the water in one bathroom sink and the laundry. That water continued to look really dirty and never ran clear. If it matters, those two rooms are on the same side of the house, while the kitchen and other bathroom are the opposite side. After the 12hrs, and I switch back on the bypass valves on the softer and house filter, should all water go back to be clean? Or is this something to be concerned about?

Thank you again for any and all input.

 

[Valveman]

Anytime you chlorinate it is going to cause dirty water to come up. Most likely the lines are clogged somewhere. It is best to pump the well out from the well head and not run the dirty and chlorinated water through the house to try and pump out the chlorine. May not have added enough chlorine if you didn't smell it. If there is enough stuff to use up the chlorine it never makes it to the faucets. Could be just the aerators on the faucets are clogged.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

A. Easy thing to check first is if the aerator at the kitchen is clogged. This would affect both hot and cold.

B. https://terrylove.com/forums/index....izing-extra-attention-to-4-inch-casing.65845/ is my sanitizing writeup. It is more rigorous and time-consuming than a professional could do at a reasonable price. I am not a pro.

Different people are more sensitive to chlorine smell. The test strips are more objective.

C. Flushing your pressure tank is a good idea. Maybe annually, tho every few years is still more frequently than most do.
Precharged Pressure tank flush:
1. Connect a hose to the sediment drain valve, and run that to where you plan to drain the water. I suggest filtering the output through a cloth if you suspect the sediment may include sand.
2. Turn off the pump.
3. Open the drain valve, and let it drain until the water stops. It would be possibly interesting to watch the first water that comes out.
4. Close the valve, and turn the pump back on, and let pressure build.
5. Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 as needed.

D. Flushing the sediment from your WH is also something that should be done. See https://terrylove.com/forums/index....o-flush-a-hot-water-heater.79444/#post-576623 post #7.

E. I think everybody should have a sediment filter before or after the softener. Mine are before. Bigger is better. I like the Pentek Big Blue 20x4.5 housings. Other brands may or may not be as rugged. Ideally there would be a 3-valve bypass around that, but keeping a spare O-ring on hand can usually prevent you from being out of water. If going this route, read past posts. I like the PENTEK-DGD-5005-20 heavy duty filter cartridge.

 

[ConnieMaria]

Hello All, thank you upfront for all help and advice. So, I've owned this home for a couple of year and every so often I get the rotten egg smell in some or all faucets. It was suggested that I do a well chlorination treatment, so I had a company come out today to do it. This cost me $200! I just turned the water off and am in the stage of letting it sit for 12hrs, but I noticed some things that are concerning to me prior to doing this. I'd like to get some advice to see if any of these things are something that I should be worried about before it gets too late in the day to call the company back out to address them.

Concern #1. The water pressure is acting funky. So, the guy poured the bleach into the well, ran some hose water inside, then came inside and bypassed the water softener and whole house filter. We then turned on all cold water faucets in the house to wait for the chlorine smell. He turned on the kitchen sink first, which had normal pressure. But when I turned on the faucets in the 2 bathrooms and laundry, suddenly the kitchen water stopped flowing. Then water from all of the faucets stopped flowing. The guy went outside and checked something in the well and then came back inside and checked blue water bladder thingy, which he said it was at good pressure (he said is was at 40). He concluded that we'd probably just used all the water and it needed to build back up. Within a couple of minutes, water started flowing back to all faucets, EXCEPT the kitchen faucet. Now the kitchen faucet is barely dripping water and continues to be this way hours later. Also, the cold water in the bathrooms and laundry is flowing just fine, but the hot water starts out strong and then the pressure gets low. I have now shut off all water for the 12hr wait, but I'm wondering if this is something that is normal and should correct itself after the 12 hours? Or could there be something else wrong in the well or plumbing?

Concern #2. The water never got the chlorine smell. While the guy was here, the water ran for about 30 minutes as we waited to smell the chlorine, but it never happened. The water continued to smell like dirty well water. He also said he's had cases where the chlorine smell never happens and told me to continue running the water for another 10 minutes before shutting it off for the 12 hours. Then he left. I actually let it run for another 20 minutes or so and it never smelled like chlorine. The water continued to smell like well water and every so often rotten eggs, but never chlorine. Could this mean the chlorine did not make it through the pipes?

Concern #3. The water from each faucet and toilets was dirty, brown/black looking. There was also black particles in the sinks the looked like charcoal. But, in the bathtub there was a significant amount of sediment lookedmore like brown dirt than charcoal and settled all over the bottom of the tub like mud. However, before I turned off the faucets, all of the water began to run much clearer, although still tinted a bit, except the water in one bathroom sink and the laundry. That water continued to look really dirty and never ran clear. If it matters, those two rooms are on the same side of the house, while the kitchen and other bathroom are the opposite side. After the 12hrs, and I switch back on the bypass valves on the softer and house filter, should all water go back to be clean? Or is this something to be concerned about?

Thank you again for any and all input.

A. Easy thing to check first is if the aerator at the kitchen is clogged. This would affect both hot and cold.

B. https://terrylove.com/forums/index....izing-extra-attention-to-4-inch-casing.65845/ is my sanitizing writeup. It is more rigorous and time-consuming than a professional could do at a reasonable price. I am not a pro.

Different people are more sensitive to chlorine smell. The test strips are more objective.

C. Flushing your pressure tank is a good idea. Maybe annually, tho every few years is still more frequently than most do.
Precharged Pressure tank flush:
1. Connect a hose to the sediment drain valve, and run that to where you plan to drain the water. I suggest filtering the output through a cloth if you suspect the sediment may include sand.
2. Turn off the pump.
3. Open the drain valve, and let it drain until the water stops. It would be possibly interesting to watch the first water that comes out.
4. Close the valve, and turn the pump back on, and let pressure build.
5. Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 as needed.

D. Flushing the sediment from your WH is also something that should be done. See https://terrylove.com/forums/index....o-flush-a-hot-water-heater.79444/#post-576623 post #7.

E. I think everybody should have a sediment filter before or after the softener. Mine are before. Bigger is better. I like the Pentek Big Blue 20x4.5 housings. Other brands may or may not be as rugged. Ideally there would be a 3-valve bypass around that, but keeping a spare O-ring on hand can usually prevent you from being out of water. If going this route, read past posts. I like the PENTEK-DGD-5005-20 heavy duty filter cartridge.

Thank you so much for an informative response.

I went out and bought some chlorine strips the next morning to test the water and it showed that there wasn’t any chlorine in the water. I thought it would at least be a small trace a day later, but nothing from any of the faucets. So, I’ve be concluded that he didn’t use enough chlorine.

I had the well guy come back out the next morning and he didn’t help at all. Just suggested that there is a clog caused by the chlorination and told me to call a plumber. Also, when I showed him the chorine strips, he admitted that was odd, but didn’t offer to rectify it. $200 literally down the drain. Never again.

A plumber came out and agreed something is clogged, but didn’t have time time to work on it they day. He’s scheduled to come back out Wednesday to flush the water heater (tankless) at a cost of $320. But he says there is no guarantee that this will fix the problem. That price seems a bit high to possibly still have the problem after. He didn’t mention flushing the pressure tank, but I will see about getting that done, because I also noticed the shower head is now pulsing.

I certainly wish I was confident enough to follow your instructions and do everything myself, but I’m afraid that I may mess something up.

However, one a positive note, I did try to fix the kitchen faucet myself because I didn’t want to be with it kitchen water for 6 days. Using instructions on youtube, I removed the faucet and cleaned the diverter, which got the water back flowing better. Pressure is still a bit low, but I hope that improves with the WH flush. If not, the plumber said it’s going to cost me $250 to clean out each faucet. So, a well chlorination is now costing me hundreds of dollars. Crazy.

Btw, I do have a springwell whole house water filter before the softener and when I turned it back on, the water cleared up and that dirt-like sediment disappeared,which was confirmation of how well the thing works.

 

[ConnieMaria]

Anytime you chlorinate it is going to cause dirty water to come up. Most likely the lines are clogged somewhere. It is best to pump the well out from the well head and not run the dirty and chlorinated water through the house to try and pump out the chlorine. May not have added enough chlorine if you didn't smell it. If there is enough stuff to use up the chlorine it never makes it to the faucets. Could be just the aerators on the faucets are clogged.

Thanks for the response. I asked the well guy why he didn’t pump from the well head and he said because he’s always done it through the house. But, then admitted that since I was only doing it because of the bad smell, not any other reason, that it wasn’t necessary to pump through the faucets and that he’d do it the other way the next time. There won’t be a next time.

I also tested the water with chlorine strips the next day and there was no trace. Again, admitted this was odd, but offered no explanation of why this was. He also didn’t offer to assist me with addressing the clogging problems that this has caused and told me to call a plumber.

 

[isaashmeyers]

Hello All, thank you upfront for all help and advice. So, I've owned this home for a couple of year and every so often I get the rotten egg smell in some or all faucets. It was suggested that I do a well chlorination treatment, so I had a company come out today to do it. This cost me $200! I just turned the water off and am in the stage of letting it sit for 12hrs, but I noticed some things that are concerning to me prior to doing this. I'd like to get some advice to see if any of these things are something that I should be worried about before it gets too late in the day to call the company back out to address them.

Concern #1. The water pressure is acting funky. So, the guy poured the bleach into the well, ran some hose water inside, then came inside and bypassed the water softener and whole house filter. We then turned on all cold water faucets in the house to wait for the chlorine smell. He turned on the kitchen sink first, which had normal pressure. But when I turned on the faucets in the 2 bathrooms and laundry, suddenly the kitchen water stopped flowing. Then water from all of the faucets stopped flowing. The guy went outside and checked something in the well and then came back inside and checked blue water bladder thingy, which he said it was at good pressure (he said is was at 40). He concluded that we'd probably just used all the water and it needed to build back up. Within a couple of minutes, water started flowing back to all faucets, EXCEPT the kitchen faucet. Now the kitchen faucet is barely dripping water and continues to be this way hours later. Also, the cold water in the bathrooms and laundry is flowing just fine, but the hot water starts out strong and then the pressure gets low. I have now shut off all water for the 12hr wait, but I'm wondering if this is something that is normal and should correct itself after the 12 hours? Or could there be something else wrong in the well or plumbing?

Concern #2. The water never got the chlorine smell. While the guy was here, the water ran for about 30 minutes as we waited to smell the chlorine, but it never happened. The water continued to smell like dirty well water. He also said he's had cases where the chlorine smell never happens and told me to continue running the water for another 10 minutes before shutting it off for the 12 hours. Then he left. I actually let it run for another 20 minutes or so and it never smelled like chlorine. The water continued to smell like well water and every so often rotten eggs, but never chlorine. Could this mean the chlorine did not make it through the pipes?

Concern #3. The water from each faucet and toilets was dirty, brown/black looking. There was also black particles in the sinks the looked like charcoal. But, in the bathtub there was a significant amount of sediment lookedmore like brown dirt than charcoal and settled all over the bottom of the tub like mud. However, before I turned off the faucets, all of the water began to run much clearer, although still tinted a bit, except the water in one bathroom sink and the laundry. Moreover, I read here supremestudy.com/essay-examples/ocean-pollution/ about ocean pollution and I understand that this is actually more of a global problem, I think I should make another fountain or connect to the city water system, but in that case it will cost me a lot more, what do you think?

Thank you again for any and all input.

1. Water pressure issues: It's possible that the chlorination process disrupted some sediment in the pipes, which can cause temporary pressure issues. However, the fact that the kitchen faucet is barely dripping water is concerning. This could indicate a problem with the faucet itself or with the plumbing leading to the faucet. It's unlikely that the pressure issue will resolve itself after the 12-hour wait, so it may be worth contacting the company that performed the chlorination treatment to have them investigate further.
2. Lack of chlorine smell: If the water never developed a chlorine smell, it's possible that the chlorination process was not successful. This could be due to a variety of factors, such as not using enough bleach, not letting it sit for long enough, or a problem with the plumbing that prevented the bleach from reaching all areas of the system. It's possible that the company that performed the treatment may need to come back and repeat the process to ensure that the bacteria in your well have been eliminated.
3. Dirty water: The dirty, brown/black water and sediment in the pipes is likely a result of the chlorination process stirring up sediment and bacteria in the system. It's not uncommon for water to look discolored or have sediment after a chlorination treatment. However, it should clear up after a few hours of running the water, as you mentioned it did for most of the faucets. The fact that the water in one bathroom sink and the laundry is still dirty after running for a while could indicate a problem with the plumbing leading to those fixtures. It's possible that there is a clog or build-up in those pipes that needs to be addressed.